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Fair queen meets her public

Photos by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald Sharon Kleindienst, the 2012 Queen of the Fair, right, gets a hug from Morgan Rule, 9, of New Hampshire, Sunday at the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show.

FRANKFORD -- The 2012 Queen of the Fair Sharon Kleindienst comes from a long family line of dairy farmers in Stillwater, so now with her new title she wants to promote the agricultural legacy of the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm & Horse Show.

Kleindienst's great-grandfather, who is pictured in the Sussex County Agricultural Society's Hall of Fame at the fair, started Stone Bridge Farm in Stillwater decades ago. The family still owns this dairy farm and has been volunteering at the fair for years.

"I told the judges that I wanted to keep that legacy going," Kleindienst said.

As a first step in promoting that legacy, Kleindienst walked around the fair all day Sunday chatting with just about everyone she came across. As little girls gave her hugs and stared in awe at her crown and sash, Kleindienst encouraged them to go visit the animals, her favorite part of the fair.

"I really want agriculture to be more recognized," she said.

Kleindienst also told people she ran into that Stillwater has not boasted a Queen of the Fair since 1984.

Her mom, Ellen Kleindienst, said her daughter loves Stillwater and this is the best way to represent it.

Kleindienst, 18, is a 2012 graduate of Kittatinny Regional High School. She will attend Mansfield University in Pennsylvania this fall. The new queen loves working with children, which was apparent as she let little girls hold her wand, so she plans to study early childhood elementary education with a dual certification in special education.

Like all the 19 other girls in the competition, Kleindienst has several hobbies and accomplishments. She participated in choirs, color guard, marching band, school musicals, Kittatinny's Wind Symphony and Silver Winds because of her love for flute, singing, acting, ballet, tap, jazz, Irish step-dancing and gymnastics.

She also was involved with Peer Leadership, Crossage, French and Ski Club, the National Honor Society and Tri M Society. As fairgoers learned at her crowning Saturday night, she is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Kleindienst said she never expected to win Queen of the Fair because of the tough competition she saw all around her.

"I became friends with all of (the girls)," she said. "Everyone was such an accomplished lady."

However, when the judge called Sharon's name, her mom screamed and jumped up from her seat. Kleindienst herself was also in shock.

"I was so excited for her," Ellen Kleindienst said. "I'm so proud of her."

Father Jim Kleindienst was also proud of his daughter and her accomplishments.

"We were praying she'd be selected, but there were a lot of talented and beautiful girls up there," he said. "She's very talented, and we were thankful to the judges."

After the crowning, Kleindienst was whisked off in a fairy-tale Cinderella carriage. She returned Sunday to take her queen duties seriously. Nearly every booth was greeted by Kleindienst.

She thanked veterans groups for their service to the country, signed quilt square for the troops, learned about her town of Stillwater via pictures and posed for pictures. Her family has been coming to the fair for years, especially to volunteer in the Lafayette Federated Church's booth.

"I've always been at the fair," Kleindienst said. "I love coming to everything, especially the animals."

Her father said that even when he was a boy, he would come to the fair to help out at the annual chicken barbecue. He now works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and made sure that his daughter and son, Michael, both got the same fair experience.

Both parents agreed that they couldn't imagine that their daughter would someday be Queen of the Fair, but neither is surprised now.

"I never imagined she'd get to this point, but she is a very driven girl," Ellen Kleindienst said.

In Case You Missed It

In 1881, five short line regional railroads combined with the New Jersey Midland Railroad to form the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway. This new line played an important role in hauling coal out of Pennsylvania to the greater New York metropolitan